How do you order special order colors? (ramtrucks.com bait and switch)

How do you order special order colors? (ramtrucks.com bait and switch)

Folks,

Spent the last two months researching a replacement for my '00 2nd gen long quad 2500.

Spent a lot of time on the ramtrucks.com website with the Build My Own truck tool. Eventually convinced the SO that it was time (particular when the OD started throwing codes, then a front wheel bearing chucked).

So we looked at the listed-as-available colors on the website and selected a few we liked (the basic boring four are...boring. and we "settled" for a silver truck last time) and one of the reasons we chose Dodge^H^H^HRam this time was because they claimed to offer colors.

So next it was dealer visit time. Drive a few, settle on what we want, tell them what we want to order - knowing it'll be a special order truck because no one stocks long 2wd 2500s anywhere.

Dealers answer? Sorry, none of those colors are available any more. We can only get the basics - silver white grey black, midnight blue, oh and our great new sagebrush and saddle brown (yes, and flame red).

So not being one to take no for an answer, I put the word out to 3 other local dealers. Same response. One said that if we ordered multiple trucks we -could- still order them through the fleet side of the house. But not on single truck orders.

So more digging. Hit up a few of the larger out of state dealers who focus heavily on internet sales. 3 of the 4 who responded had the same answer - no special order colors on special order trucks.

ONE dealer said they could still order them. One. But they did mention that a special order would add an unknown amount of time to the build - could be weeks, could be months. Not confidence inspiring.

Left me feeling extremely annoyed - like I was pulled in by products that are not really offered using classic bait and switch tactics.

No where on the website is there any information regarding delayed order times, or multi truck orders, or anything. Just colors, and an extra charge.

So, then, I leave this as an open question to the community and to Fiat/Chrysler/Dodge/Ram - how DO you order special order color?

(btw - we did find a compromise truck to get us down the road for now, a left over fleet ordered 2011 (10/10 build) Light Green (instead of Hills Green or Omaha Orange) 2500 short crew 2wd diesel and secured a good deal on it. but I really expect it to last only a few months before the short bed gets annoying enough to make us place an order. I hope by that time to figure out how to get the truck I want, instead...)

By definition a "Bait & Switch" is offering you a product or service at an incredibly low price and then switched to a far more costly product or service.

I don't see a bait and switch here, since the dealers are telling you up front that they cannot get the product.

Most US auto companies have a cut off date for certain features/colors at some point during that model years production run (while most foreign auto companies don't even offer a "custom" build). I've custom ordered two vehicles - my ex wife is super high maintenance too, and I know on one of them (GM product) we were after the cutoff date and had to wait for the following model year to be able to order the color/features she just had to have...

By the looks of them, those are all fleet colors (highway department, DNR, etc colors). I assume that if you want one you need to order right away when the new model year comes out or get lucky and make them part of someones large order when they have the paint set up for a big batch.

By definition a "Bait & Switch" is offering you a product or service at an incredibly low price and then switched to a far more costly product or service.

That's one example (and common) use, not the definition. The bait, in this case, is a range of colors being advertised as available.

Quote:

I don't see a bait and switch here, since the dealers are telling you up front that they cannot get the product.

Right. The manufacturer is the one advertising otherwise. The bait got me into the dealer, then switch was days later when the dealer reported back that they couldn't sell me -that- color, but they could sell me these others.

Quote:

Most US auto companies have a cut off date for certain features/colors at some point during that model years production run

If that's the case, they're very well suited to be capable of removing the special order colors from their online advertising....and indeed should. Or
at the very least list availability dates along with the colors.

I can't speak for the asian brands, but custom builds for German brands are indeed very common. The last 4 new cars we bought were all custom orders.

My point being (for Ram) - only advertise what you actually sell. If there are caveats, list them. Don't **** off your customers. If the colors had had "limited to orders of 10" or "available until 12/11" or were simply not listed, I'd have been ecstatic to find a small handful of trucks on dealer lots across the country, instead of frustrated that I couldn't just order the truck I speced.

Now I'll have to agree with you on that, the website should have ALL the pertinent information on ANY and ALL configurations and options they show. I think that's probably a classic case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing and I wouldn't at all be surprised if the web design is outsourced...